Saturday, February 5, 2022

Love saves Cavaliers, Hornets stung 102-101

    Kevin Love nailed two free throws with 1.2 seconds that allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to win 102-101 over the Charlotte Hornets in a game that will be remembered for quite a while for one of the worst calls that basketball has ever seen.

Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with career highs in points (29) and rebounds (22) the day after the center wasn't selected for the All-Star game in Cleveland.

Kevin Love finished with 25 points and Brandon Goodwin added 12 points as the only Cavaliers to join Allen in double-figures for the evening.

Cleveland improved to 32-21 with the win and will host the Indiana Pacers Sunday night in Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1) I've never seen a call like the one in the fourth quarter and I've been watching basketball for a while.

Ed Davis, who didn't play in the game, swatted at Charlotte's Terry Rozier as Rozier fired a three-pointer, thinking the play was dead after Cleveland's Dean Wade had stepped out of bounds.

Davis was called for a technical foul for interference, which was fair but Rozier's shot occurred well after the whistle blew, and therefore so did Davis's interference.

Amazingly, the referees counted the three-pointer and even more amazingly the play stood after review.

What the hell is replay for if it doesn't correct mistakes?

2) Charlotte then connected on their next three shots, all from three-point range, and suddenly the Hornets would lead until the Kevin Love free throws- all due to the momentum from a blown call.

Davis clearly wasn't trying to interfere, he was thinking that he was goofing around with a player during a dead ball but the interference did occur but there is no way Charlotte should have been awarded three points-which the NBA agreed with after the game.

3) Cleveland once again played without Darius Garland and it is clear how badly this team needs him.

Rajon Rondo and Brandon Goodwin simply don't shoot the ball well enough to be threats from the outside and I could definitely see the Cavaliers going after someone to cover Garland's absence in the future.

4) Darius Garland was named to the All-Star team but Jarrett Allen was not.

Allen took out his anger on the Hornets as his points and rebounds were career highs and he fouled out Charlotte's Mason Plumlee as Plumlee vainly attempted to stop Allen.

Allen shot twelve of twenty from the floor and split his twenty-two rebounds evenly between offensive and defensive.

With Kevin Durant unable to play, there is an open spot on the Eastern roster and Allen could receive that spot, especially with the East looking short at big men for the game.

5) Charlotte seemed to see some controversy on the foul on the final play that sent Kevin Love to the line.

I didn't see it that, Love was clearly fouled and there was still time left on the clock- no controversy in my opinion.

6) Kevin Love did more than just hit those pressure free throws, Love scored twenty-two of his twenty-five points in the second half and along with Allen, kept Cleveland in the game.

Love has a strong chance of winning the Sixth Man of the year and I would have given him next to no chance of winning that award before the season.

No comments: